By Pratap John
Chief Business Reporter

Federspiel: Ambitious growth plans

A modern joint venture cable plant with major Qatari participation at the Mesaieed Industrial City has achieved a milestone by making first shipment to Europe on Monday.
Qatar International Cables Company (QICC), promoted jointly by Nexans, a global leader in the cable industry; Special Projects Company and Al-Naema Holding, started production at Mesaieed early this month.
At the peak of production, the company will have a capacity of 25,000 tonnes of industrial, infrastructural and building cables a year.
“We expect to reach that level by second quarter of next year,” QICC general manager Cyprien Federspiel said. “We are targeting Qatar and the entire Gulf market besides Yemen.”
QICC’s Mesaieed plant is among the largest cable plants in the Middle East.

QICC’s cable plant at Mesaieed. At the peak of production, the company will have a capacity of 25,000 tonnes of industrial, infrastructural and building cables a year

It will produce power cables of low-voltage, medium voltage and high voltage up to 80kV for oil and gas companies, utilities and other industries.
The factory, with a total floor space of 19,000 sq m is located on a 70,000 sq m plot, which has been taken on long lease from MIC, a Qatar Petroleum undertaking.
“The huge plot size allows for future expansion of the facility as the regional demand is expected to grow. Qatar’s cable market was worth QR2bn last year according to Qatar’s Customs and Ports General Authority,” Federspiel said.
Asked about the prospects in the Qatari market, Federspiel said Kahramaa and many oil and gas companies in addition to the building sector require high quality cables of different specifications as the country’s economy expands.
“We have already bid for a Kahramaa tender and are looking forward to serving the power and water distributor,” Federspiel said.
He said QICC targeted a market share of 30% in Qatar.
“With Nexans technologies and QICC’s local presence, clients all over the region will enjoy integrated added value services backed by a modern cable plant in Mesaieed. All kinds and sizes of projects in the region will benefit from the facility, which makes QICC a one-stop-shop for all developers at two levels-regional and national”, Federspiel said.
The company has more than 100 employees on its rolls now. QICC has also set up a sales office in Doha to cater to the requirements of customers, he said.